The Phoenix Bird
by Demenior
Summary: When Yuri, a young vetrinarian in training, finds a young Phoenix on the ground during a stormy night, he has just begun the walk to his destiny. What will come of the two when the Phoenix is too afraid to be near him? KaixTala FRIENDSHIP
1. The Phoenix's

**The Phoenix Bird**

**Beyblade © Takao Aoki**

"**The Phoenix Bird" quotes © Hans Christian Anderson**

**Warnings: undescribed rape, some language, blood and religion clashing- though it should mostly be the religions I make up for the creatures.**

**Pre-chapter 1: The Phoenix's**

**In the Garden of Paradise, beneath the Tree of Knowledge, bloomed a rose bush. Here, in the first rose, a Bird was born. His flight was like the flashing of light, his plumage was beauteous, and his song ravishing… **

**The Phoenix Bird by**

**Hans Christian Anderson**

"_Although there were many divine creatures in the world, the Unicorns, dragons and fairies for example, none were greater than the Phoenix. The bird was the very essence of fire- the living, breathing flame. They were pure- no bit of darkness could taint their souls. And it was this very quality that led them to the Holy Quest._

_The Holy Quest to destroy the darkness that Eve created when she ate the forbidden fruit. The Lord smiled upon his creations as they dedicated their lives to this Holy Purpose- and so he granted them a gift like no other._

_Imortality._

_Though everything must die- the Lord made it so the Phoenix could live again after sleeping in a nest of hungry flames- coming back as a newborn chick. But if a Phoenix had their head, heart, lungs or any other vital organ removed- they would die. Water was a curse- for they were just like flame, so it harmed them. Warm water was okay- except they would not be able to fly or use their fire abilities until their bodies dried by sunlight. The colder the water- the more it harmed them. As the water got colder, it would fight with the natural high body temperature of the Phoenix and slowly strip them of their flesh, a Phoenix in cold water for long enough would become a pile of bones, then nothing. And even if they escaped cold water- it would take a long time before their bodies dried. So they preferred to try and avoid liquid._

_And as the Phoenix's continued on their conquest for light- there became many obstacles. The weak got in the way- and so they were destroyed. Children learned to hunt and kill at a young age and therefore were awesome fighters when older. The Phoenix's thrived and were feared and an era of light descended upon the world._

_Though many races despised them- one race who was mixed up about the fire birds were the humans. The 'Wingless' as the Phoenix's called them. Those who had been left sensory blind- all senses cut over half. But their mind, oh their terrible mind was what kept them alive. Though, for a mind so very crafted, the humans were rather ugly and stupid. They spoke in strange grunts and squeals and with their hands. Never once could one understand a Phoenix. The humans began to craft things- weapons. And it was these things that the Phoenix's knew cased true evil. And they would have to fight against these 'weapons' one day, and when that day would come no one knew…"_

The story-teller continued. The dancing fire nearby played with the minds of the other phoenix's listening and it caused the mood of the tale to become real.

Not too far away, in a small hut, a young Phoenix was holding her small babe in her arms- trying to quiet him so that the story would not be interrupted and the blood of the warriors would flow strongly, full of new energy.

"But Ma! I want to listen as well! Why can't I," the small boy protested. His large, mahogany eyes were glittering with unshed tears- it was forbidden to cry in the Phoenix's clan.

"Shush, Kai. Your blood will boil if you listen to the story. You will want to fight and you know you have to go today- you need your energy to run," she replied with a sad smile.

"But why? Why do I have to run- no one else does?" Young Kai protested.

The mother smiled, "Because it's a game for us. You have to run as fast and as far away as you possibly can without looking or coming back until I come and get you. If you can wait for me- then you win and I will give you a very special treat. The further away you get, the better you have played."

Kai nodded quietly, "Alright, Ma. Da won't play, will he?"

"No, Kai, I'm afraid your Da cannot play tonight. But don't worry, he'll be so proud of you when I bring you back," she smiled. _If we make it out alive, _came the negative thought, but she cleared her mind with a quick shake of her head. The drums of war had started- the dark ones had arrived.

"Alright, Kai, now it is time to go. I've packed you with food and water- do you remember all my instructions for you?" she asked- urgency in her voice.

Kai smiled proudly and nodded, unaware of the danger, "Yes, Ma. I'll be sure to win."

She smiled as she led him out the back door, "Now run, Kai. Run and never look back. Never stop until you get far enough away from here the wind does not carry our scent. Run so far that phoenix's are unknown, now go!" tears had begun welling up in her eyes as she pushed her child into the woods, he nodded obediently and ran.

A loud scream came form the village and flames suddenly shot everywhere. The story-teller lay, dead, on the ground with an arrow embedded in her heart. A large basilisk came in and grabbed her limp body to tear it up before she could revive.

All the Phoenix's of the village stood, ready. Their blood was boiling and they were ready and eager to fight. The children had all been told to fight- but Kai's mother would not allow her child to die in this futile battle.

Their hands and wings came alive with flame as they stood in positions perfect for battle. In the shadows, all around the village, hungry, dark eyes watched intently- waiting to strike.

_I will not come out of this battle alive… maybe the Phoenix's will not last any longer… I love you, goodbye, Kai, _a lone Phoenix woman thought as she came to her tribe. A single tear fell down her check- and normally she would have been hit for crying, but no one could notice.

And then, the tension broke and all hell broke loose. The demons and evil beasts attacked…

**))-((**

Kai ran. He had been running for years now. He had never looked back; done everything his mother had told him too. Kai had been alone for over three centuries- which was not a long time in the lifespan of a Phoenix- but every day was grueling torture that caused him to want to cry, but he never did.

Kai had lived alone all this time, taking food that he found lying around- because stealing was evil and was not permitted to Phoenix's. And so many days he starved. He lived between large brick buildings and stayed in there almost all the time. The Wingless were always around, always walking about, and Kai feared them. Some of the Phoenix's from his home had talked about humans and their weapons- and how they liked to hurt others and especially hated the Phoenix's because of the bird's beautiful wings. And because the Wingless were so jealous- they would try to catch a Phoenix and put it in a cage, and one could not fly or be free in a cage.

These stories ad often given Kai many nightmares when he lived with his mother, and his mother would always secretly comfort him later.

But no longer. She still hadn't come for him- and sometimes Kai believed he had played the game too well- and that she couldn't find him. Sometimes- when he was rarely glimpsed, the Wingless would chase him. They frightened him very, very much.

On this particular day, Kai had just finished looking for some scraps of food, and was slowly and quietly walking back to the alley he lived in.

Suddenly, he started as he heard voices. He did not understand what they were saying- for humans were very stupid and could not speak except for their strange grunts- and then they smelled of excitement and wonder. Their footsteps quickened and Kai realized that they had seen him.

He took off at a run, talons clicking on the hard ground and he bumped his wings many times on the walls of the buildings. With an excited cry the Wingless gave chase. Kai yelled at them to stop, but they only seemed to run faster as they heard him. The alley was too small for Kai to fly in, so he could only run.

Kai turned a corner and ran blindly- then hit a wall. He cried out in pain as his head throbbed and by now the humans had caught up to him. There were three of them. Two of them grabbed his wings while the third gave him a swift kick. They all laughed as he yelped.

Normally it was not smart for on to hold a Phoenix by the wings- but the humans did not know that because they were stupid- because a Phoenix could ignite their wings and burn off the captors' hands. But Kai, being so young when he had run away and never having any real training, had not learned this and so he was defenseless.

The humans beat him, plucked feathers from his wings, and yanked on his tail-feathers. There was a strange smell in their breath- Kai had smelled it a few times before- and usually the humans who had the scent were even more stupid than others and swayed around as they walked. Kai had a feeling it had to do with the odd-smelling bottles they had in their hands.

One of them took a step back and the others- still holding Kai's wings, leaned back a bit and the one who had stepped back threw his bottle at Kai, and the glass shattered on the Phoenix and cut him many times. They all laughed as Kai tried to get away.

Rain began to fall and Kai panicked- rain hurt him- especially around this time because it was so cold. He tried to beat his wings, but they were very weak from lack of use over the years, and he was not very strong, for a Phoenix at least.

And then the evil humans did something to him that Kai would not forget.

And once they were done, they left him, panting and bloody on the ground. They tossed their last two bottles over their shoulders and the glass cut him again. Kai bit his tongue- he would not cry. It was forbidden to cry…

**Well, here we go with a new story from me. X.X I should probably STOP with all these crazy story ideas, eh? Well, I got this form a short story we had to write for Language Arts- mine was about Kai being a Phoenix and… well; I won't give it away, haha! This is only briefly based on my short story though- I wouldn't have someone raped in a school story now, eh? **

**R&R please. **

**Demenior**


	2. Yuri Ivanov

**The Phoenix Bird**

**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**

**Warnings: see chapter 1**

**Chapter 2: Yuri Ivanov**

"…**But when Eve plucked the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, when she and Adam were driven from Paradise, there fell from the flaming sword of the cherub a spark into the nest of the Bird, which blazed up forthwith. The Bird perished in the flames; but from the red egg in the nest there fluttered aloft a new one the one solitary Phoenix Bird…"**

Yuri Ivanov was spontaneous. He liked to be unpredictable, distrusted. He liked having no one around to bother him. But it also meant that he was taunted. At collage- that also meant the scorn was greater.

Tall, with spiked red hair, ice-blue eyes, pale skin and unreadable emotions were what made Yuri unique. He had many 'nick-names', 'kind-hearted-fool' and 'emotionless bastard' the most common ones.

They didn't really bother him, when he was stressed or slightly panicked about a test, then he might retaliate, but usually he just gave everyone a simple 'hello to you too' and sat down at his desk and went to work.

Ivanov was studying to be a vet. Animals had always fascinated him, not really humans, but the creature's strange, free nature. There were many mysteries he hoped to solve about their companions on earth. And then- pry myth and legend from the truth.

Yuri did not really believe in foolish stories of flying lizards that spat fire, horses with a large horn upon their brows, of small people with wings. Nor did he care for the fable of a bird that died and began again in flame.

Yuri was seventeen years old. He had signed his entrance documents to the school as eighteen, so he had been allowed adult pleasantries a year early- not that it really mattered.

The Russian, yes he was originally from Moscow, was now in a big city- where? He hadn't really bothered to notice; not having a very caring family didn't make you worry about sending them any letters or gifts, or receiving any yourself. The Russian liked to take walks early in the morning and late at night to clear his mind and let go of a lot of his stress from the day.

He lived in a fairly large apartment- no one shared with him because it wouldn't do good for their 'reputation'- so he enjoyed himself a lot. There were two rooms; he only used one, a bathroom, a living room and a kitchen. It sure sounded fancy, but he had had to do a lot of renovating before it was an acceptable living space.

It was a simple life style, papers all over his apartment, living on student loan only, and not a single other to comfort him at all. There were some people he could call 'acquaintances' but they only spoke to him because he was smart and they had no hope in school and needed to copy off of him.

On this particular day, Yuri was busily getting ready for school, and doing in a little bit of review for the test he had been studying for for a few weeks now. He was eating some cereal and reading his text book. The azure eyes scanned the page, absorbing the last of what information he hadn't already memorized.

Looking up quickly, he heard a bell ring.

_Darn it! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! _He cried in his mind, then leapt to his feet and ran to the door, throwing books into his backpack and his coat over his shoulders as he did so. Yuri struggled into his boots and ran out the door.

Yuri wasn't the most organized child. But fortunately, he had been gifted with brains which helped balance his life out. Yuri raced down the stairs, not really stepping on any of them, and ran out the main doors in the lobby. He rushed to school, hair flying everywhere, and realized he hadn't packed a lunch.

Though it didn't quite seem like it- Yuri was soon going to be involved in a plot that could change the world. It was only a matter of time…

**))-((**

"Hey, lookit! Why it's tall and pale Frosty!" a boy taunted as Yuri slipped into class.

"Mr. Parker, please stay quiet during the test. And thank you for joining us, Mr. Ivanov," the teacher- an older woman with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, said sarcastically. She was Miss. Tate- or Judy for those who were Max Tate's friends.

Though Yuri was studying to become a vet, this collage also had many different career training programs, and unfortunately, this was one class where students form different classes were merged for an hour. This was where he got the most teasing.

Yuri sighed and ignored them and sat down quietly as Judy came over and handed him a thick pile of papers that was his test. He had picked up his pencil and begun calculating when…

"I'm Here! I'm Here And I'm not Late!" came the cry as the doors flew open and a boy with long navy blue hair and indigo eyes cried as he ran in. His English was fast and slightly slurred- he was Japanese and English still wasn't his best language- it was the class clown Takao Granger.

The class, despite Judy's warnings, erupted into a series of cheers and whistles. Takao was probably the most popular boy in the school- the 'World Champ' as some people called him- and boy did he know it. Even the teachers seemed to give him special slack; Miss Tate didn't even narrow her eyes at him.

Yuri tiredly finished the test, first as always, and then left. He didn't need to stay. He looted his backpack and found a few coins and bought a bag of chips and a pop from the snack and drink dispensers.

He was sitting at a table, sipping quietly at his soda and staring up at the ceiling when someone shoved him roughly. Yuri coughed on some pop he had inhaled and glared over at the boy across from him. Michael Parker and his group of 'thugs'. Moses, Eddy, Steve, Johnny, Lee, Rick and Michael's girl Emily and Lee's girl Mariah.

"So, smart-ass, can't bother to show up with the rest of us cause you're so _s-m-a-r-t_?" Michael taunted, emphasizing the 'smart'.

Yuri snorted, picked up his backpack and turned to walk away.

"Hey! I was talking to you, freak!" Michael shouted.

The hot-headed Rick stepped forwards to grab Yuri by the shoulder, but was interrupted.

"Leave him alone!"

Yuri groaned. Not again! Why did someone always have to come to his rescue, once- just once- he wanted Michael to punch him too far so that he could snap and fight back. Just to see the look on Michael's face when he went home with a broken, crooked nose.

Garland, flanked by Mystel, Rei Kon, the Spanish twins Julia and Roul, Claude and Miguel and his girl Mathilda, came running over. Normally, Michael's group would not be questioned- but garland was a lethal kick-boxer. Mystel seemed to jump high enough to defy gravity, Julia and Roul would never let anything happen to the other and would kill to protect their 'other half' and the rest were just plain good street fighters.

Michael growled, "Get outta this. What do you want with the Emotionless Bastard?"

Rei, a boy with long, long coal-black hair and smooth complexion. H had claws, fangs and wild amber, feline eyes in which the pupils would dilate and slit up depending on his mood, growled, "It's not right that we sit by and watch."

"Butt out, Rei!" Lee cried suddenly. Rei, Lee and Mariah had all grown up together- but when lee and Mariah had joined Michael, the three had split up and considered Rei to be beneath them now.

While the argument continued, Yuri continued walking away. He wasn't worried about the rest of the day, and frankly, he didn't care. He left the school and headed down the street, deciding to wander for the day.

He ended up at the mall. Shopping around a bit, buying some groceries and a few sketchbooks, Yuri did like to sketch when he was in the mood. But lately nothing had inspired him. This annoyed him very much because his hand itched to draw something amazing, but nothing but scribbles came out.

Continuing out of the store, Yuri realized he had spent the whole day inside, now it was getting dark out and the clouds overhead foretold rain. Cursing under his breath, Yuri went at a brisk walk and got home quickly. He yawned exhaustedly as he got inside and put all of his new items away, and then went to his room and changed into his PJ's and curled up in his bed.

**))-((**

A loud thunderclap awoke him. Yuri bolted upright, covered in a cold sweat. He had been in a car accident many years ago- and was fairly traumatized by it still. No one had died, his mother had been paralyzed and his father had lost his left leg, but the screams of agony continued to torture him.

He went to the kitchen and took out the bottle of milk, not bothering to pour it into a cup, he drank from the carton. Satisfied, he placed the milk back into the fridge and slowly turned on the kitchen lights. He winced slightly at the sudden brightness, but managed to adjust to it. He walked over to the window and stared out at the endless rain.

His drawing hand began itching more than ever to draw, but no image to draw came to mind, so Yuri did his best to ignore it.

_Maybe a walk in the rain will help bring a drawing to my mind… _he thought to himself, though he knew it was an excuse to try and get out so he could clear his mind. Yuri had usually felt trapped behind closed doors and often liked to get outside.

Throwing his coat over his night clothes, Yuri pulled on his boots and walked outside.

He was walking down the street when he heard drunken voices and quickly ducked behind some trash cans- not wanting to be seen by some very drunk forty-year-old men.

"Man… that was some frikin good action…" one laughed, slurred was his voice. The other two laughed drunkly and the three of them swayed across the street and went off without noticing Yuri.

_Action… Oh my God… Did they –rape- someone?_ Yuri's eyes widened at the thought and he looked around a moment before running down the alley the men had come from.

Down a ways and around a corner- he found the boy. Curled up in a ball and sobbing uncontrollable. Without even thinking what he was doing, Yuri removed his coat and slung it around the child. Though the boy was small, as Yuri lifted him he quickly realized the boy was only two or three years younger than he was!

As he moved the boy- he noticed something else… there was something on the boy's back.

Wings.

The boy had wings. Yuri shook his head, believing he was getting sick. But they were still there. Maybe this boy was some genetic experiment that had gotten loose? Then what was he doing taking it?

_I'm a kind-hearted fool… _Yuri reminded himself mentally.

The boy was already mostly unconscious as Yuri picked him up and remained limp while Yuri rushed home. The Russian took the winged boy to his apartment- not really knowing what else to do- and put him on his bed.

His life had just gotten very weird indeed…

**Finally Kai and Yuri meet. What will come out of this? What will happen next! Stay tuned, I have most of this story planned out and hopefully things will run smoothly for my writing and I won't get writer's block. x.x Wish me luck!**

**Read and review (R&R) please!**

**Demenior**


	3. My Name

**The Phoenix Bird**

**Disclaimer and Warnings: see chapter 1**

**Chapter 3: My Name...**

"…**The fable tells that he dwells in Arabia, and that every hundred years, he burns himself to death in his nest; but each time a new Phoenix, the only one in the world, rises up from the red egg…"**

Yuri set the boy down on his bed and carefully removed his coat form the smaller body. He tossed it to the floor and it fell in a soaked heap.

The boy looked about fourteen-fifteen and was, seemingly, small for his age. He had pale skin and four bright blue triangles were painted or tattooed onto his face. He had two-toned hair, slate-blue, almost grey, in front and a darker blue, almost black, short ponytail in the back. The boy was wearing a black tank top that was made to specially fit around his wings and some well worn blue pants. He was barefoot- but had bird feet instead of normal human feet. On his pale hands, he had sharp, short claws.

Yuri curiously ran a hand along the feathers of one of his wings, it was real, and the feathers were a bright, crimson red. There was some golden colored, hard substance protecting the bone and reinforcing the feathers. The boy was very warm to the touch and Yuri was very worried that the boy had a terrible fever. He was also bleeding slightly from numerous wounds and cuts that Yuri hadn't noticed in the dark night. There were larger, more dangerous cuts that looked like they had been made by glass.

As Yuri traced his hand along the golden rimming of the wing, he came to an irregular bump. Worried, he tested the other wing and there was no bump.

_Oh no… looks like one of his wings are broken… _Yuri thought sadly.

Quickly, Yuri went to his storage room and took out a broom. With some effort, he knocked the straw end off and took the handle to the kitchen. With even greater difficulty, he cut the handle in half, using a large knife, and then went back to his room and selected a shirt form his drawer and tore it into small strips of cloth. Then he sat down beside the boy and set the wing bone. The boy stirred not once the whole time.

Yuri went back to his bathroom and rummaged around for his antiseptic and then once more ran to the kitchen and filled up a bowl with lukewarm water. Upon arriving back in the bedroom, he washed and cleaned many of the boy's wounds and then bandaged up the worst of them.

"Poor child," Yuri murmured to himself as he finally took a step back to examine what he had done. Once satisfied, he picked his soaked coat off the ground and took it to the front door and hung it on the coat rack.

He checked his clothing, and completely wet it was. With a sigh, the redhead went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He had to wait a while for a nice warm temperature and then quickly stripped off all clothing and hopped in.

After coming out, Yuri wrapped a towel around his waist and proceeded to his bedroom to get some spare nightclothes to sleep in. He walked through the doorway and began rummaging through his wardrobe. And then a shuffle from the bed caught his attention…

**((-))**

While Yuri was having his shower, Kai awoke. He slowly opened his eyes against the bright light. It took the phoenix a moment to realize he was _inside_ in a human room. The stench of Wingless was everywhere. What were they doing to him? What did they want?

Had he been captured? Slowly, the memories of the night came back to him and Kai began to shake. Was this human going to force himself on the Phoenix? Kai curled his knees to his chest and winced painfully. His cuts and wounds hurt.

Then, he saw that his cuts and bruises had been bandaged up… by that human? Impossible! Why would a human help him? They were too stupid to do almost any simple task.

_I have to escape. I have to get away…_ Kai convinced himself inwardly.

Slowly, as to relieve some pain, Kai uncurled himself and shuffled over to the side of the bed. He panted slightly from the effort, but he was determined to escape this place. This human would not take him. Suddenly there was strange humming sounds coming form the hall and the human walked in, a towel around his waist.

Kai was startled a moment from the look of the human. He was very beautiful- for a human at least. Smooth, ivory skin; tall; long legs; red hair resembling a blazing fire; and then there wee his eyes.

As the human turned to look at Kai, he didn't seem too stupid and had noticed the phoenix moving on the bed, Kai was about to dash away, but he was held in check by the human's eyes. They were so unusual, beautiful and mesmorizing. What human had eyes like this? What type?

00oo00oo

Yuri was frozen in place by the stange boy's gaze. The boy had enticing crimson eyes, mahogany in the darker lighting. The two stared at each other for what seemed like eons, and then Kai was able to shake off the spell and dove for the door.

"Stop!" Yuri cried. He, being closer, reached the door first and the bird-boy stopped a few footsteps away.

"Please. I only want to help. I don't want to hurt you, just calm down please," Yuri said quietly, holding his hands up in a sign of non-aggression towards the poor boy.

Kai snorted, so this strange human _was_ just as stupid as the rest. He couldn't talk properly either. And what was worse- It had placed Itself between him and his escape. And still, this human was different; maybe it would be able to understand him…

"Move. I want to go," Kai demanded. The human's confused face only proved his guess that It hadn't been able to understand him.

"I, I don't understand you. Can you speak English?" Yuri asked quietly. The boy had responded with a series of clicks, whistles, squeaks and screeches.

The boy snorted, stomping his foot and Yuri noticed the way 'Birdie' kept looking past him and out the door. He wanted out…

Of course! In his medical training, Yuri had learned that when an animal wakes up in new surroundings it might be a bit aggressive because it was confused and scared. Birdie was probably worried that Yuri might try and rape him, and then his own smell in the room might be aggravating the birdboy on even more.

Okay, he had to get the bird to another room, preferably a more unused one so that he could calm down a bit. And while doing so, Yuri needed to get into his pajama pants, seeing as he still had only the towel around his waist.

"Move!" Kai demanded again, startling Yuri out of his thoughts.

Of course! The spare room, it would be perfect for Birdie here.

Yuri smiled- not showing his teeth and teeth showing was a sign of aggression to animals- and gently beckoned for Kai to follow him. The boy seemed confused, almost astonished to see the communication, and then quietly followed.

Yuri led Kai over to the spare bedroom and bowed by the door, gesturing for Kai to go in. Kai was still shocked. How could a human be that smart? Were humans that smart? Impossible! They were dumb, useless and annoying! He tried to shake his head of any more thoughts about the human- but It was too strange, too different.

Yuri did not enter the room after Kai, but waited patiently as Birdie observed his surroundings. The blue-haired boy turned to look and Yuri. Yuri gestured to the whole room and then pointed at Birdie. Birdie nodded quietly, the room was his? Why was this human so nice to him?

The sound of a someone clearing their throat brought Kai back to attention. It placed a hand to It's chest and made a strange grunt sound that humans make a lot. It waited for Kai's reaction, and then repeated the sound.

Kai's eyes widened, the human was trying to give Kai It's name!

Shaping his tongue around the strange word, Kai waited until the sound had been repeated a third time before he tried. The sounds were hard to make, but he seemed to have managed them very well. It nodded excitedly and the smile seemed to get bigger. (Though no teeth were shown)

It nodded to him. _His_ name? How would it sound translated into Wingless tongue? Would it still have the nice ring to it as it rolled off the tongue as slippery as melted butter? Kai thought hard, and was able to do the best he could with his small knowledge of Wingless speech. He placed a hand to his chest and said determinedly,

"Kai."

Yuri nodded, repeating the name to Birdie to make sure it was right. So Kai was his name…

Kai looked exhausted, so Yuri let him curl up on the bed in the room and left him. Yuri returned to his own bed and got changed into some new clothes. He crawled into his bed, and fatigue tried to take him, but what held it at bay? Yuri growled and mumbled something about bad-timing insomnia and rolled onto his stomach, laying his left hand by his head.

Of course!

He needed to draw something- and here was his inspiration right in his own house. A boy with wings and such- he was no angel, spoke a strange and alien language and had the most interesting appearance of anyone Yuri had ever met!

Quickly diving into his sketchpads, paper and pencils, he selected a pencil and curled up against his bed, finally able to let some creativity out.

The sketch came quickly, which surprised him, usually his drawings took some time to complete. As the pencil came to a happy halt, Yuri smiled proudly at his work.

It was a picture of Kai, still rough, guidelines visible and it was unshaded, but there it was. A work of art he was very proud of. It was Kai, supposedly sleeping while he leaned against a wall or something. A scowl still sketched onto his face even in his sleep. Frowning slightly, Yuri took his eraser and erased the scowl.

He drew a content smirk on the face of his sketched 'bird'. Now it looked great.

**There, I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever, but I had some things to work out in the plot before I could write this chapter and I still do. No, a VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION!**

**Should this story be…:**

**A) a more-or-less real-life drama with heartbreak, breakdowns and junkB)**

**B)More Fantasy-based, with mythical creatures and stuff. And guys trying to take over the world, like that. If we do fantasy-based, I promise I won't make it unbearable- it'll still be on earth and stuff, just more crazy fighting scenes. **

**I MUST KNOW!**

**I can't continue the story until I know which way this will go. So review, review, review and spill you guts about what you want it to be. It doesn't really matter to me, and I'll probably just do another fic with the unchosen option as the plot, but I leave this up to you guys, the readers!**

**Demenior**

**REVIEW!**


	4. I Still Don't Know You

**The Phoenix Bird**

**Disclaimer and Warnings: see chapter 1**

**Chapter 4: I Still Don't Know You**

**Authors Note: I forgot to mention, in the last chapter, until Yuri and Kai become better friends, Kai usually refers to Yuri as 'It' and Yuri refers to Kai as 'Birdie'. I'm sorry if it caused any confusion!**

"…**The Bird flutters round us, swift as light, beauteous in color, charming in song. When a mother sits by her infant's cradle, he stands on the pillow, and, with his wings, forms a glory around the infant's head…"**

Sunlight streaming through the window, Yuri muttered a few curses under his breath as he rolled over and got out of bed. Rubbing some sleep out of his eyes, he made sure to close the blinds before returning to his bed. He tripped over the towel on the floor.

"Stupid towel-" Yuri paused in mid sentence. _Why_ on earth had he had a shower? Speaking of which- why in God's name were there _blood_ stains on _his_ bed? He took a frightened step back, trying to come up with the reasons, and it was only until the events of last night caught up to him that he remembered.

Kai. A red-winged boy was sleeping in his spare room. He had found him, already been raped and left unconscious to die in the rain. He had brought the boy back, healed his wounds and then found that Kai spoke a different language, but was also able to decipher hand gestures and body language. Maybe that was the key to teach him English.

Wait, _teach_? Was he really expecting Kai to still be here? What if that had all been a dream? Then Yuri saw his sketchbook- still open to the picture of Kai he had drawn last night/ early, _early_ this morning.

With a slightly excited skip in his step, Yuri walked down the hall and quietly opened the door to the spare room. The Phoenix was still curled up on the bed, but was shaking badly. Why- wait… Yuri already knew the answer. He hadn't pondered over how a non-human would act to being raped- but it was obvious it was going to be a difficult while.

Speaking of non-humans, could there be others like Kai? And if so, why hadn't they been 'found' by humans yet? And what _was_ Kai? Yuri jumped as he heard a frightened yelp from Kai and bowed his head sadly. He went back to his room and took his blanket form the bed, then quietly stalked into Kai's room. He wrapped the bird in the extra blanket, and Kai seemed to settle a bit more as he somehow sensed another presence. Yuri sat down beside him, carefully, and did a quick check over Kai's bandages.

He rather liked being around the bird. It gave him a sense of wonder and awe that he hadn't felt in a long, long time. Not since he had given up fables and myths to become a vet and focused only on the truth.

Suddenly, Kai reached out and softly grabbed Yuri's pant leg just above the knee. Yuri was slightly startled, but noticed again how Kai was shaking and nodded slightly. He gently took Kai's hand form his leg and brought his legs onto the bed, pulling the still sleeping bird into his lap. Kai nuzzled into his chest and with a content sigh seemed to fall into a blissful slumber. Yuri yawned and realized he was still quite tired. He kindly pulled the blankets over the two of them and drifted back to sleep…

**((-))**

Mahogany eyes slowly drifted open to reveal a world slightly blurred to his tired eyes. Kai blinked a few times to clear his vision. The Phoenix yawned briefly before closing his eyes again and snuggling into the warm body beneath him. For a brief moment, he was reminded of his Ma. How she would hold him, make him feel as if he were invincible. He would not be harmed in her grasp.

_Has Ma found me already?_ Kai's eyes snapped opened in the shock of his thought. He slowly turned his head to look at the other, and found it was the human. Kai felt a blow to his wants harder than the evil Wingless's kicks from the previous night. He wanted his Ma, his Pa and all of his family so badly. But they would probably think him as stupid as the Wingless- Kai did not know how to fly very well; he could glide barely at the most. He did not know how to summon his flame, something he once had been able to do as a young child, but he had forgotten over the centuries.

But as Kai felt the human's arms wrapped around his middle, he felt a slight sense of peace and security. And along with it- came the shock and fear of being in such close contact. The last time he had been this close to a Wingless- no, no he wouldn't think about it! This Mortal was nice; It had not harmed him yet!

Kai shook his head, but his fear was too great and he pushed away from Yuri with a frightened cry, tumbling off the bed. He hit his wing and the pain was so intense, that for a moment Kai nearly fainted. What was wrong with his wing? What had the human _done_ to him? Why did they always hurt him? Why, why, why?

It was awoken by Kai's sudden cry and was now down on the floor beside him, holding him around the middle to keep from collapsing or throwing up. Softly It stroked his throbbing wing and whispered soft grunts in It's own tongue. Kai wasn't sure what It was saying, but it helped to calm the chills.

Regaining himself, Kai pulled away from It and pushed himself to his feet. He looked at his wing confusedly, not understanding why there was a Wingless contraption on it, nor why it was hurting. Was it the Wingless thing that was hurting him? That _must _be it, Kai decided. Why else would his wing hurt so badly?

As he reached out to remove it form his wing and rid himself of the pain, the human suddenly let out a sound that made Kai freeze. He stopped and the human jumped forwards, taking Kai's outstretched hand in his own and placing it back at the Phoenix's side. Kai raised an eyebrow at this and tried again, but the human stopped him. This time, still holding onto Kai's hand, the human shook his head.

_No? Why can't I take it off? It _wants_ me to be in pain!_ Kai realized.

Kai tried again, and this time as it went to stop him, Kai hissed threateningly. It seemed to get the message and nodded gravely. Kai reached forwards and just as his claw-tips brushed the Wingless Object, the pain came again. Kai bit his lower lip and pulled back. It put a reassuring hand on Kai's shoulder. Were all Wingless this physical?

This time, Kai understood. This Wingless didn't seem to want to cause Kai pain. He had helped heal him, rescued him, and tried to stop him from causing more pain to himself. What was It's name again?

"Yu-ri?" Kai whispered, still not used to the strange Wingless way of speech.

Yuri looked down to Kai, slightly surprised. Kai's lips turned upwards in a slight smile and he nodded graciously to Yuri. Yuri nodded and responded by saying Kai's name.

"Kai."

Slowly, the human turned and walked out the door; he turned and beckoned for Kai to follow. Hesitantly, Kai came after him. He never used to go out during daylight, though the Sun he worshiped, **(1) **day was time of the Wingless. Kai pulled back into the dark room.

* * *

Yuri turned around to look at him, confused, but Kai merely shook his head no and pulled back more as Yuri came back to get him.

"Kai?" came Yuri's silent question.

Kai shook his head and sat down on the bed. He would _not_ leave the room until nightfall. The day was too dangerous. Yuri frowned slightly and came closer to Kai. The winged boy pulled back and shook his head again.

Kai shook his head and sat down on the bed. Yuri seemed to understand that Kai didn't want to leave, so he left the room and went to the kitchen to cook some breakfast. He rummaged through the cupboards. Finally he stumbled upon a package of waffles and pancake mixture.

_I wonder if Kai likes pancakes? _Yuri thought to himself. He took the packet out and searched for a large bowl. After a few minutes of searching, he was able to pour the contents of the package into the bowl and was reading the instructions.

"For 9-12 medium pancakes add one egg, two cups of water and a teaspoon of oil," Yuri muttered to himself.

He searched for a while longer before finding what he needed, though he had no measuring items, he took a coffee mug from the cupboard and put in two cups of water. Then he washed up a spoon and put in a spoonful of cooking oil.

Whistling as he cooked, Yuri did his best not to burn anything, but burning was his specialty. He managed to get a few decent pancakes from his labor. He piled what was edible onto two plates and then took the pancakes to Kai's room. When he got to the door, he found that Kai had managed to close and lock it.

"Kai? Kai! Open up!" Yuri called, worried.

He placed the plates on the floor and pounded on the door.

"Kai? Come on! Open the door! Kai!" he cried, not realizing Kai couldn't understand him.

Yuri grasped the door handle and, trying to turn it, shoved himself into the door. He rammed his shoulder a few more times before he heard a satisfying _cr-ack_ and the lock broke from the doorframe.

Yuri rushed in and looked around franticly. It took him a moment to find the small shape curled up beside the bed, trying to cover himself with one wing and looking quite upset and distressed.

"Kai," Yuri said softly. He stepped forwards and reached his hand out to place it on Kai's shoulder, but the winged boy's wide, frightened eyes focused on his hand and his whole body tensed in preparation to flee at the slightest movement.

Yuri pulled back slowly. What had suddenly come over Kai? He hadn't acted like this earlier…Of course Yuri knew the answer though, but he thought Kai trusted him. He didn't know how to help the Bird at all.

Slowly, with a sad smile on his face for Kai to show the boy that he meant no harm, Yuri retrieved that plates of pancakes and gently set Kai's down as close as Kai would allow Yuri to get.

"Food. Eat. Yum," Yuri smiled and pointed to the food, rubbed his stomach and nodded to Kai. Kai didn't flinch but his wild eyes stayed focused on Yuri.

"Kai…" Yuri whispered quietly.

Then, suddenly, Kai startled Yuri by bringing his taloned foot back and shouting a word he had picked up from young children while living on the streets.

"No!"

Kai kicked the plate back and the pancakes landed in a heap, beside Yuri. **(2)**

The Russian was dumbfounded, but nodded quietly and slowly rose to his feet, gathering up the mess as he did so. Yuri walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind him.

Would Kai ever trust him?

**(1) I won't go into much detail about my version of the Phoenix Culture- but they Worship the sun, it's like their god.**

**(2) Lets just say they had no syrup or butter on them. Who knows if Kai can digest them?**

**DUN DUN DUNNN! Well, now, R&R please. I'd really appreciate it!**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! (Though technically the New Year doesn't start until midnight, oh well. 2005 is basically –OVER-)Hope you all had a merry Christmas D**

**Once again, R&R.**

**Demenior.**


	5. New Discoveries

**The Phoenix Bird**

**Disclaimer and Warnings: see chapter 1**

**Chapter 5: New Discoveries **

**Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in forever, been busy with assignments and midterms are coming up ((sad face)) wish me luck! **

"…**He flies through the chamber of content, and brings sunshine into it, and the violets on the humble table smell doubly sweet…"**

First of all, Yuri was stunned. He hadn't expected Kai to react so violently against him. They had seemed to have gotten to a point where Kai could almost feel comfortable with him. But of course, Birdie was still wary of normal people. Yuri sighed inwardly, seeing as he had really hoped Kai would trust him, it had been painful to have the bird-boy reject him so harshly. As a vet-in-training he had a natural curiosity for anything with fur, feathers, scales and tails. And as a normal human, he was intrigued by meeting someone/thing the world had never seen before. To say it at the least, Yuri's interest was most certainly roused by the appearance of this strange named Kai.

And secondly, Kai had spoken another word! 'No' might be a simply, common and overlooked word, but it was thrilling to know Kai was learning, remembering or had learned other words somewhere else. It also meant that they might be able to communicate and maybe that would help Kai overcome his fear of others. Then Yuri could learn about him and maybe make a discovery that could change the world! Wait, no, he wouldn't… he **couldn't** do that to Kai. Kai would have to be kept secret.

And as for now, Yuri would help Kai learn to trust again. He knew that Kai needed comfort of some sort, and as long as he didn't mess up and make the bird fear him more, he and Kai would have a chance at getting along with one another. But right now, he needed to do some research. The library would be a good place to start. Yuri pondered a moment, wondering if he should leave Kai alone, but then decided that Kai would feel safer if no one was in the apartment. He went back to his room to get dressed, then pulled on his shoes and a light coat, and headed out the door.

**

* * *

**

Kai stayed curled up in the corner. He was so confused! His Ma and Pa, and all of the Phoenix's had told him how evil and stupid the Wingless were, and yet this one had saved him, was taking care of him. It seemed reasonably intelligent, incapable of much useful speech, but agreeable. Kai felt slightly upset over how he had reacted to the… to It. But he couldn't stop thinking about those evil Wingless!

Why did they do that to him?

No, no, no! Kai hit his head at every word to emphasize the point. _Don't think about that! Don't think about that! Focus on right now! The past doesn't matter!_

He pulled deeper into himself and the corner while he tried to figure out the strange Wingless that was taking care of him, and the new environment he was in.

**

* * *

**

Yuri walked slowly, eyes trained on the ground as he thought about Kai. The poor boy **must** be some exile from an experimentation war-camp or something. And the experimenting seemed to have messed with his brain. Kai was, Yuri felt guilty to admit, fairly stupid and couldn't communicate that well. But with the simple understanding of hand/body gestures and when he had spoken those two, no three, three words, it proved he could learn. And Yuri felt strangely obliged to teach him.

He slowly trekked towards the library. Shuffling along, he didn't acknowledge people when they complained about the ignorance of the new generation, or when rude remarks were passed to him for not keeping his head up.

Kai was a strange enigma. Where had he come from? What was his purpose? What did he like? Dislike? Did he have any family? Did he have any parents? If so, who? How had he escaped? Why hadn't anyone come looking for him? Surely world of a 'strange, winged boy' must've come from those men who had…

Yuri's step faltered. He felt a strange stirring of emotion in his gut. Hate. He was furious, vengeful and full of hatred for what those men had done to Kai. Why, why, why? Why on earth did people **do** things like that to each other- or to animals?

Animals? Just because Kai had feathers and claws… did Yuri think he was an animal? Well, he wasn't human… what made a human a human? They needed two eyes, a nose and a mouth. Ask anyone and they could name at least a dozen animals with those qualities. They needed two ears; a way of communication, intelligence, limbs… almost any animal could be a human! Why hadn't he seen it before?

Human and animals were so similar, but humans had the sense that because they had learned how to live 'better' that they were dominant. That they were supreme and everything else was beneath them. What if Kai was some part of a new race that was coming to invade earth? If so- then those men had really done something great for the human race! In fact, Kai might be sending a message to his people that humans were worthless, repulsive beasts who needed a better source of control, or complete annihilation!

After a moment, Yuri stopped and chuckled quietly to himself. Another race come to wipe out mankind? Someone would see something strange in the sky and then the army would blast it to smithereens. That's how humans were. And Kai seemed fairly weak, about human strength if he had been overpowered by…

Yuri stopped and continued going. But suddenly he heard someone calling to him. Looking up he came face to face with an old man, covered in grime and the virus of poverty and street life.

Yuri didn't feel quite in the mood to talk to the man, "What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

The man smirked and beckoned Yuri to lean in closer. When he did, the man quietly breathed, "Birdies like **him** prefer meat to pancakes…"

**

* * *

**

Weary of sobbing, Kai finally pushed himself to his feet. Years of life alone and independent had taught him to eat at every chance, even if he didn't feel like it. It could be a long time before your next meal.

Slowly, he crept to the broken door and pushed it open. His body tense, Kai waited for any sound of an approaching danger, and then eased himself into the hallway. Slowly the Phoenix slid down the hallway, pausing to sniff the air at a few moments. And then he reached It's room. Curiosity got the best of Kai and he slipped in.

Crawling over the springy, soft object Kai realized was a bed of some sort; he perched on the end and looked around the room. There were many articles of clothing strewn about. It looked like the big wooden box was used for holding It's clothing in. Looking down, Kai saw a book of some sort and a long, stick-like thing lying beside it.

He had only vaguely heard of books from the other Phoenix's. Sometimes Storytellers would record a story in one, using pictures, or how many beasts a pair of Phoenix's had killed during a contest. And even a Wingless had a book? Maybe they weren't so stupid? Taking the strange stick, Kai examined it curiously.

Narrow and pointed with a black tip at one end, most of it was a golen-yellow. There was a hard green metal band at the opposite end and then a soft, pink substance. Kai looked closer, but accidentally poked himself and dropped the stick in surprise. It fell onto the paper and made a small mark. Amazed, Kai cautiously picked up the stick again, which he had now deemed a '_mark-maker'_. Hesitantly, he made another mark on the paper, and then pulled back abruptly in case anyone caught him doing such a senseless act.

After making a few marks without getting caught, Kai got bored. The Phoenix's had long, long; long ago lost their writing language, and only used speech. There wasn't much point in the activity. He left the room and slowly brought himself to the main room. There was a long chair of some sort, and a box on the other side of the room. The front was made of glass but the rest was black. Kai hurried over and eagerly examined it. There didn't seem to be much too it. It reeked of Wingless, and seemed slightly hollow. But it didn't smell like food. He noticed some small knobs sticking out of the bottom, and curiously, he pressed on one.

The box sprang to life with Wingless voices. So sudden did it come that Kai shrieked and sprang back onto the elongated chair. He found something rectangular and hard, and noticing it had many other little knobs on it as well, and smelled like the frightening box, he pointed it at the box and pushed a number of knobs.

The picture changed and had many colorful monsters dancing around on the screen. Kai growled and tried to warn them to stay back, but they didn't seem to hear him. He growled again, the feathers on his wings puffing up, but they continued cackling and leaping around. Then some Wingless showed up inside the box and Kai was horrified! Wingless put each other in these small, little boxes- for what? And they looked like very young Wingless too! The horror!

Then, some strange Wingless symbols appeared on the box and the young Wingless and the monsters began sounding it out. Kai sat up, more focused, as he realized he could learn some of the Wingless tongue from this box of horror! Now excited, he got up and ran back for the book and mark-maker. He dashed back and sat in front of the box and scribbled down, as best he could, the word. Then he listened closely to the sounds and the way the Wingless's tongue and mouth moved.

"Katt" Kai finally got out.

Sounding out the word, he began to understand that the almost-complete circle made a 'kuh' sounds. The small circle with a tail made the 'ahh' sound. And the cross made the 'tuh' sound. He felt pleased and was eager to learn more.

"Duguh." No. it didn't sound quite right. Not like how the monster and punished Wingless said it.

"Dog!"

Now it showed a picture of an animal with pointed ears, whiskers, big eyes and a long tail. The letters appeared beneath it.

CAT.

"Cat!" Kai cried triumphantly. Quickly he tried to draw a 'cat' beside the word. It then proceeded to show a dog, and Kai was able to name that too. Next it showed a bird, sitting on a branch.

B-I-R-D

"Bur-duh" Kai said slowly. He wasn't sure why he was so interested in learning the Wingless language, but he wasn't going to give up now that it had opened up to him.

"Burrr-iduh."

"Burd."

Kai waited and listened thoughtfully to the way the Wingless children said the word, and then tried again.

"Bird!"

After drawing the bird beside the word, Kai looked up to realize that the monsters and Wingless were gone. Slightly disappointed, he left the learn-box and went into the cooking area. His stomach growled and Kai saw the food It had made for him this morning.

Shyly, Kai reached out and grabbed one of the flat breads. Taking a bite he found it actually wasn't much like bread, but in a way was, but more like… like…. something else! Kai eagerly ate another two before beginning to feel a little better. He picked up the rest, and then stopped a moment. He didn't want It to worry about him, no matter how much he hated Wingless. So then, thoughtfully, he took one of his feathers from his wing that was already quite loose from the treatment of those evil Wingless…

Kai placed the feather down on the platter that the yummy food had been on. He then went back to 'his' room, closed the door quietly, and recalled all the new information he had acquired that day.

* * *

**Well, here we go. So I guess Kai and Yuri are beginning to realize that they can understand each other, and that they need to learn to trust each other. Who is that old man? How does he know about Kai? Will Kai and Yuri ever really get along?**

**And as for the plot, I've decided to do more of a mixture of A) and B) we'll have crazy fighting scenes, heartbreak, drama and someone/thing trying to take over the world- how does that sound?**

**R&R please and thank you!**

**Demenior.**


	6. Impossible

**The Phoenix Bird**

**Disclaimer and Warnings: See chapter one**

**Chapter 6: Impossible**

"…**But the Phoenix is not the Bird of Arabia alone. He wings his way in the glimmer of the Northern Lights over the plains of Lapland, and hops among the yellow flowers in the short Greenland summer…"**

"_Birdies like **him** prefer meat to pancakes…"_

Yuri paled a considerable amount.

"I- I have no idea of what you're talking about!" he stammered.

"But you do, kid! I know you have a Fire-Wing in your house. I know it!" the man hissed.

Upon a closer look, Yuri realized that this man… wasn't a man at all. He appeared to be around the same age as Yuri, with pale violet hair and even paler eyes. His skin was nearly white. Something about this teen, though, strongly reminded Yuri of Kai.

"What on earth is a Fire-Wing? And why are you singling me out? Just leave me alone!" Yuri said loudly, trying to pull away from the boy.

The boy narrowed his gaze, and it was then that Yuri realized why this boy seemed to remind him so much of Kai.

Neither boys had pupils in their eye- but both seemed perfectly capable of seeing everything around them.

Why hadn't Yuri noticed that about Kai before? He had been so absorbed in the appearance of the boy, and his wings, to consider anything else different about him. So, did that mean that this pale-boy was another one like Kai? If so- where were his wings?

"Why are your eyes… so strange?" Yuri asked.

The boy snorted, "Come with me, and I'll tell you."

He gave a sharp tug on Yuri's arm, but Yuri braced himself and pulled his arm away.

"I'm not that stupid! If you want to tell me anything, tell me right here, right now!" Yuri demanded loudly.

The boy seemed to wince at the intensity of Yuri's voice.

"Fine then," he growled, "I can't tell you right here, for reasons you'll understand later, but you should know, my name's Bryan."

Yuri looked at Bryan stupidly, and then replied, "Yuri."

Bryan nodded, "Then I'll see you around, Yuri."

He turned and suddenly disappeared into the crowd. Yuri stood stock-still for a few moments until he was finally able to comprehend what had just happened.

How could this _Bryan_ know about Kai? He must've seen him somewhere… when Yuri first brought him in! Of course! It was so obvious! But why had Bryan made such a big deal about that? That was the one thing hat didn't make sense to Yuri. And how similar Bryan seemed to Kai… why was that? Were they related?

Yuri sighed and shook his head. He turned and jogged the rest of the way to the library. Things were getting to be really weird, since he had found Kai.

00oo00oo

Upon entering the library, he felt somewhat overcome by the eerie silence. Most people there were studying, reading or looking for books. There was no talking whatsoever. Not understanding why, Yuri took a deep breath to reassure himself and then made his way over to the fictional (not real) portion of the library.

After searching around for **anything** that might be of use for him to find out what Kai was, and then not finding anything or knowing where to really start, Yuri slumped down in a chair and thought about his options.

_Let's see… I know Kai has red wings, bird feet and tail feathers. He looks relatively human besides that- except his eyes. They are probably the most unusual eyes I've ever seen. Mahogany… almost red. I know that he doesn't speak English, but seems to learn quickly. What type of strange animal could match that description?_

"Can I help you?"

Yuri started in surprise and looked up. The boy in front of him jumped slightly at Yuri's reaction, but otherwise seemed calm. He had bright orange hair, blue, blue eyes and a clearly genuine smile.

"My name's Brooklyn. I was wondering if you might want any help? You do look pretty flustered," Brooklyn smiled.

Yuri was quiet a moment before answering, "You… you work here?"

Brooklyn nodded, "I do volunteer here a lot. It's nice and quiet, helps you relax. I don't like all the loud noises out there." He gestured to the door as he spoke.

Yuri nodded, "Sure. I don't know if you could help me. But… would you happen to have any books with information on… FireWings?"

Brooklyn's face didn't scrunch up in confusion as Yuri thought it would, but instead he smiled and nodded quietly.

"FireWing… I haven't heard that name in a long time…"

**

* * *

**

_A young Kai clung to his mothers dress as he peered out at all the unfamiliar faces. Many beings of many wings. He had never seen so many different colors of feathers._

"_M-Ma, what are they all d-doing here?" he asked worriedly._

"_These are the warriors form the lesser-class phoenix's tribes. I think they are here because the darkness is spreading. I have heard that many camps have been taken now, Kai," upon seeing her son's frightened face, she stopped, "but don't worry. We're the biggest, strongest and toughest Phoenix's to exist. The darkness won't get us."_

_Kai nodded thankfully and scanned the crowd again. His eyes found a young boy, though older than Kai, but not by much. He had light purple hair and eyes, and in a unique combination, his wings appeared to be the same color._

"_Ma," Kai tugged on his mothers dress again, "where is that boy from? He looks different."_

_His mother followed Kai's gaze and then looked back to Kai._

"_That is Bryan from the WhiteWings…"_

"_But his wings are purple!" Kai said._

"_He is a half-blood, his Da is a WhiteWing and his Ma is a BlackWing. He went to live with his Da once he was of age and so he is now a WhiteWing. But he does have an unusual coloring, with his hair, eyes and wings the same shade. It is strange, but often the sign of a strong warrior. You're like that too, Kai. Your eyes are much the same color as your wings."_

"_What will happen to Bryan and the others?"_

"_They'll leave soon, and probably try to set up another camp. Or maybe they have been so shamed that they will go and hide among the Wingless."_

"_What? How? How can you hide among the Wingless? We have Wings?"_

"_It's not that difficult, Kai. But it does require a large amount of concentration and willpower. That is why we prefer not to hide our wings. And besides, who wants to look like a Wingless?"_

00000000000000000000

Kai opened his eyes tiredly. So much had happened in the past day or two. He had been beaten by Evil Wingless, taken in by a kind Wingless, begun to learn their language and was also living in the home of a Wingless.

He got up and nibbled on the round-bread and then looked to what he had done in the book with the mark-maker. So far he had learned six words from the Wingless language.

Cat, Bird, Dog, Yuri, Kai and No. He knew there was much more to learn and he was determined to find out what he could before It got home. So, slowly, Kai slipped out of his room again and then, with more confidence, prowled down the hallway. He came to the room with the learn-box in it, there were still many pictures dancing around in the Learn-box, but Kai found he had explored this area as much as he needed for now. He turned and made his way back to It's room, but then something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. There was a bird outside, on some sort of balcony.

Kai cautiously made his way over to the balcony, and was about to step out when he walked face-first into… something. He yelped in alarm and pulled back. Hesitant now, Kai reached his hand forwards and brushed the tips of his claws across the 'Not-Wall'

It didn't seem to be harmful, but more just as a view to the outside. Kai desperately wanted to talk to the bird, someone- even as droll as a bird- who was not entirely stupid enough to have a conversation.

Growling, Kai clawed at the Not-Wall, and then discovered the handle to the side. He pulled and the door slid open. The bird suddenly sprang up and went to fly away, but Kai called after it.

"Wait! Please stay," ha asked.

The bird turned around and landed on the balcony, looking Kai over.

"Who you to know word of Robin?" it demanded.

Despite the fact that it was quite stupid, Kai was glad to have someone who could partially speak his tongue.

"I am Kai, of the FireWings."

The bird let out a shrill whistle, "F'reWing? You 'dem big birds up in sky with mean claws, mean words!"

Kai blinked stupidly, and then said more calmly, "Who are you, CommonWing?"

"I is Robin of CommonWing, RedBreast!" he said proudly.

"Tell me, Robin, where am I?" Kai asked quietly.

"You is in big, big fleshy-stick nest! Fleshy-Stick nests much, much big, go on for long time!"

"Fleshy-Stick? You mean Wingless, don't you?"

"Fleshy-Stick no Wingless no more! They fly now, many, many in big bird.

"They **fly**?" Kai cried, appalled at such a thought. The beautiful sky was now tainted with Wingless as well?

'Why you in Wingless nest? Me no see F'reWing for many long time. Only hear in stories from Ma and Pa about F'reWings now."

Kai's eyes widened, "S-so you mean… I am the last?"

Robin nodded swiftly, there was a loud noise from below and Robin leapt into the air.

"G'bye F'reWing!" he cried and then vanished into open sky.

Kai stared, shocked, after him. The truth had finally settled in on him. Why his Ma had never come for him. Why she had hurried him away from their village… she had known she would die. She knew… they all knew… and so his Ma had sent him away in hopes that he would be able to survive and find refuge with another village. But all the villages were lost now… Kai was the last.

Kai almost launched himself after Robin, but as he spread his wings, it came quickly to him the he couldn't fly, and a sharp pain in his wing reminded him his wings were completely useless until they healed.

Utterly distraught, Kai sank to his knees and leaned on the railing of the balcony for support. Robin had to be lying… he couldn't be the last… he couldn't…

He couldn't…

* * *

**Oh dear… a bit of a sad way to end the chapter, but I hope I haven't made all of you bored out of your brains. So now we have met Bryan and Brooklyn- in one chapter! It was somewhat unexpected, but as you can see, they play a bit of an important role to the success of Kai and Yuri's relationship.**

**XD oh my I enjoyed myself writing how Robin talks. I do hope I can bring him into the story later on sometime, but if he just annoyed you guys, I can just leave him out.**

**So what will Yuri do if he finds out Kai is a Phoenix?**

**And about FireWings, WhiteWings, BlackWings and whatnot, it's like classing of 'birds'.**

**Most birds, like Robin, fit into the 'CommonWing' category, because they are just common birds.**

**The Phoenix's are their own category, because they are not very common. So apparently there is a subsystem within the Phoenix's species.**

**FireWings, obviously, are the top of the pack. And then we have yet to know where the others are. Mostly the color of you wings determines what level you are, since two WhiteWing parents almost always have a child with White wings. **

**So what will happen now? Review to find out!**

**Demenior**

**p.s. REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Also, I want to thank everyone who has read and REVIEWED this story. At this moment in time, this story has 1000 hits, but less that 30 reviews. Sorry if you find me being greedy or anything, but I find this depressing! So if you read this, just leave a review. You don't need to say anything special, but let me know people are still reading this, okay? Thanks!**


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